Abstract: Innovation is a key driver of productivity,enhancing enterprise competitiveness,performance,and national economic growth.Therefore,technological upgrading and innovation have become crucial for national development and transformation.

For Micro,Small,and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs),innovation holds increasing importance for survival and development.However,the research on the innovation activities of MSMEs remains more limited compared to larger firms in large due to lack of data.

The Enterprise Survey for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in China (ESIEC) addresses this data gap by conducting surveys specifically on MSMEs.This article first reviews the theories and literature related to innovation measurement and innovation surveys.It then introduces the ESIEC questionnaire design,analyzes the basic facts of enterprise innovation data in ESIEC surveys,and finally employs the CDM model to analyze the relationship between R & D,innovation,and productivity in MSMEs included in the ESIEC surveys.The results confirm consistency with existing literature on the relationship between these three factors.Compared to existing micro-level innovation data in China,the ESIEC survey offers four key advantages:①It covers multidimensional innovation measurements and comprehensive information on innovation,including not only standard international innovation survey data but also incorporating indicators relevant to China's unique economic characteristics and high-quality development goals; ② It includes small and micro-enterprises as survey subjects; ③ It encompasses a variety of service industries alongside the manufacturing sector; ④ Unlike many online or telephone surveys,ESIEC utilizes face-to-face interviews conducted by rigorously trained interviewers with enterprise leaders or executives,ensuring data quality.In conclusion,ESIEC data provides a valuable data source for analyzing innovation activities of MSMEs in China.Preliminary analysis based on ESIEC data aligns with the existing literature,suggesting reliable data and the possibility of comparative analysis with well-known surveys,such as  the  Community Innovation Survey (CIS) and the Annual Business Survey (ABS) in the United States.